Viagra Babies?, Page 5

However, Sher adds "a strong word of caution" regarding the importance of adequate monitoring with this use of Viagra. The drug's extreme toxicity to embryos warrants that the treatment be stopped prior to the woman ovulating. Otherwise, says Sher, the likelihood of embryo death or abnormality and/or miscarriage is very high.

"Everytime I talk about this, one of the conditions I do it under is that everyone agrees that this is not something a woman should do on her own. She should not just grab her husband's Viagra and think it's going to help her get pregnant because she's going to be harming herself." Sher emphasizes that he is not yet recommending the use of Viagra for these cases, and that further scientific validation is needed.

Sher's study used doppler blood flow detection to prove two (2) specific points:

Sildenafil will improve blood flow to endometrial linings, and
This is associated with improvement in uterine lining in women who previously had poor uterine lining.

"What we will not be able to prove and cannot claim is that (Viagra), if it were to result in a pregnancy, is cause-and-effect related to it," Sher cautions.

For the women in the preliminary study, improved blood flow and related uterine linings were dramatic. Three of four patients conceived; at the time of this interview, two had delivered, and one was still due. However, Sher says proof will have to come from elsewhere, as his clinic is already using the therapy.

"Given our previous experience with nitroglycerin, we are perfectly comfortable that it's working. But it doesn't mean that we have absolute proof -- it needs to be validated by independent studies."

Since his related television appearances, Sher was contacted by many patients and doctors. To them all, he said, "Please don't jump to conclusions. Don't start using it, don't force your doctor to use it, wait for the confirmations, and for God's sake, don't start using it around ovulation..."

"It is absolutely a joy to do what we do, but we have to be very responsible, because we can offer people false hope, we can break their hearts and their bank balances."

While Sher has no ideas about the future possibility of coverage by insurance of any Viagra treatments, he has very strong opinions about the whole issue of infertility insurance, why it doesn't exist for most people, and what it will take for such coverage to become a reality. But that's another article...